Rima Kallingal argued that female-led projects are underfunded despite audience support. Her statement on Lokah was misquoted by Malayalam media. She clarified her statement was a broader critique of industry inequality, and not taking credit.
Kochi (Kerala): Support has poured in to actor Rima Kallingal after she was forced to clarify comments about the success of Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra that were taken out of context and mistranslated by several Malayalam media outlets. Viral reports had falsely claimed Rima said, “The credit goes to the Lokah team, but we are the ones who created the space for it”. However, she had praised director Dominic Arun, cinematographer Nimish Ravi, editor Santhy Balachandran, and Dulquer Salmaan for mounting the project on a grand scale in the actual interview. Rima also said addressed systemic gender bias within the film industry. She pointed out that while Malayalam audiences appreciate good cinema regardless of the protagonist’s gender and pay the same ticket prices for all films, female-driven projects consistently receive smaller budgets and less distribution support. She argued that when production quality suffers due to inadequate resources, the responsibility lies with industry structures, not audience preferences. “Cinema itself is powerful… I’m powerful only because of it,” she had said.
The controversy escalated after actor-producer Vijay Babu responded with a widely-shared social media post that many viewed as directed at Rima. He listed numerous successful women-centric Malayalam films spanning several decades—including Vaishali, Unniyarcha, Kadathanattu Makkam, Nandanam, How Old Are You, and others – asserting that the industry has always produced such content. He attributed full credit to the Wayfarer team and Lokah crew for their achievement. However, many social media users have since rallied behind Rima, clarifying that her original statement never diminished the Lokah team’s accomplishments or claimed personal credit for the film’s box office performance. Supporters emphasized that she was making a broader observation about the structural inequalities faced by women-led projects in Malayalam cinema and advocating for equitable financial backing and distribution opportunities.
‘Rima Referred to Audience While Talking About Lokah’
Popular Malayalam writer NS Madhavan stated when Rima said “we all”, it included the audience. “Click-bait prone media dropped all and the meaning changed. Unfair,” he wrote. Another user termed the controversy as “insecurity” and said he was looking forward to watch Rima’s Theatre: The Myth of Reality, directed by Biriyaani filmmaker Sajin Baabu, which releases in theaters on October 16. Another user said, “Rima doesn’t deserve the backlash she’s getting for the statement about #Lokah ‘credit’… Media intentionally misquoted her for eyeballs.. But she deserves a lot more criticism for her hypocrisy in Sajin babu’s me too case..So I guess it’s fine…”
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Sajin Baabu was accused of sexual assault and attempted rape from two women in the film industry. One woman claimed that while discussing a script in a room, he tried to assault her and engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior when she resisted. Another woman stated that he entered her room under false pretenses, locked the door, and made unwanted advances. Both women shared their experiences with the Hema Committee, which investigates sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry. Rima reasoned that she was working with him as he was the only person named of sexual assault that acknowledged his misconduct and issued an apology citing psychological issues.